Chilled tomato, basil and mussel soup

Place the mussels in a large pot with 1/4 cup of water. Place on a high heat and cover.

Once the liquid comes to the boil, remove the lid and stir gently with a wooden spoon. Replace the lid and keep cooking for a minute or two until the mussels have opened. Strain, keeping the juice. Remove all the mussels and discard the shells.

Place the mussel meat in the refrigerator until needed.

Strain the mussel juice again, this time through two layers of muslin or a clean tea towel so that any grit is removed. Place the strained juice in the fridge. Heat the lesser quantity of olive oil in a pot on moderate heat and add the garlic and basil. Stir for a minute or so then add the tomatoes.

Season with a couple of good pinches of salt and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes so it thickens. Add the mussel juice and bring to the boil. Simmer for a further 10 minutes, remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Cool a little before chilling in the refrigerator.

Serve cold in soup bowls with the mussel meat on top and the remaining olive oil drizzled over.